The Passing of 2 Icons

This weekend tragedy struck the entertainment world twice in 24 hours when both Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes died, Mac on Saturday in Chicago, Hayes on Sunday in Memphis.

Both were very different performers, at different stages in their careers, but they will both undoubtedly be missed in their respective entertainment communities.

Bernie Mac:
The first time I remember seeing Bernie Mac was in "Friday" with Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. The film came out in 1995, but the first time I saw it was in February of 2001, when as a junior in high school I was stricken to my couch following knee surgery. A friend of mine, ironically enough who we nicknamed "Bernie," had lent me his VHS copy of the movie since he was astounded that I had never seen it with my fountain of movie watching knowledge. I must have watched "Friday," at least 3 or 4 times that week, laughing every time, and Bernie Mac as the subtly raunchy Pastor Clever was an undeniable part of that laughter.
The next film I saw him in, is what will always be the lasting image I'll have whenever Bernie Mac comes to mind, his stand up set in Spike Lee's concert film, "The Original Kings of Comedy." Mac easily stole the show from D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Steve Harvey. The first time I saw this film, having vaguely remembered him from "Friday," I remember asking myself, where the hell did this guy come from and why isn't he as big as Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, or Chris Rock, the other black kings of comedy of the past 20 plus years.

His role as Jangle Leg in the Martin Lawrence/Eddie Murphy comedy "Life" in 2000 was a small one, but undoubtedly one of the best. I still think that one of the funniest moments in that film is when he first shakes Lawrence's hand and in his best prison intimacy voice says, "Yo hand is nice and supple, like a lady!" I'm laughing right now just thinking about it.

Mac was also a staple in the "Ocean's 11" films of the past 7 or 8 years, though I thought he was best utilized in the first one, but still held his own amongst the everyday actors Clooney, Pitt, Damon, and Cheadle. In 2003 he was devilishly sinister though keeping his sense of humor in "Bad Santa" as the head of mall security; the scene in the diner when he's going back and forth with Billy Bob Thornton and Tony Cox is classic Mac. Even the 5 minutes or so of screen time he had in "Transformers" was every bit noticeable, and he made every second count.

The underrated "Mr. 3000" is one of the few films he's headlined throughout his career, and combines 2 of my favorite elements that are combined in film: sports and comedy. Mac was 50 years old, but I'm convinced if someone saw him 10 years before "The Original Kings of Comedy," he'd be right up there with the rest of them, certainly making better films than some Eddie Murphy paychecks like "Meet Dave."

He may be best known for his autobiographical role in the TV comedy series, "The Bernie Mac Show," which aired from 2001-2006. Though his edgy material may not have been ideal for network television, Mac made it play to a whole new audience, and proved successful gaining multiple Golden Globe and Emmy nominations throughout the show's run.

According to IMDB.com, Bernie Mac had 2 films in post-production before his death; "Soul Men" with Samuel L. Jackson, (where eerily, the credits show Isaac Hayes is also in the film, appearing as himself) and "Old Dogs," with Robin Williams, John Travolta, and Matt Dillon. He was a performer more than anything, not just an actor, and I'm sure there are roles for him still out there which he would shine in, though, sadly, we'll never get the chance to see them.

Isaac Hayes:

Isaac Hayes is remembered by most for his musical talents, exploding to super stardom with the theme from "Shaft" in 1971, which he won an Oscar for. Starting out as a session pianist for classic Staxx Records acts like Otis Redding in the late 1960's, his work on the music for "Shaft," gained him much notoriety. However, it's two of his roles on film and television which I will always remember him for.

The first film I remember seeing Isaac Hayes in was John Carpenter's "Escape from New York," starring Kurt Russel which came out in 1981. I saw the film many years later, sometime in the mid-1990's, and Hayes was still as cool as the other side of the pillow in his role as the Duke of New York. The Duke was a badass street king who ran the streets of New York City, which in the future has been cut off from society and transformed into a national prison destination for all criminals never to be released back into the population. He was driven around the city in a white limo with chandeliers decorating the hood, and he had the President of the United States held hostage for ransom against the government. Yup, that's the epitome of badass right there. He was mysterious and cool, and made people refer to him as "The Duke of New York, A number one." That was Isaac Hayes as I knew him growing up, The Duke of New York, A number one.

Then, a few years later, right before I started high school, Hayes turned up as the character of Chef on "South Park." He played off of his popular image as a ladies man, and spun it comically out of control in his life lessons of the ladies to a group of elementary school students. This show, love it or hate it, is one of the most groundbreaking television shows of the past 20 years. The ability to push the envelope and keep a sense of humor in its constant clever and current events satire is what makes "South Park" so relevant, and what made Hayes known to an entire generation that may have never known him otherwise. Though the Duke left the show a few years back due to the offense he took over their Scientology episode (Hayes was a Scientologist), his place on the show for a decade, will forever make him a part of it.

It's always sad to see legends go before their time, and these two are no different. Though they may not be universally referred to as legendary, there's no doubt that they left us many legendary performances to watch over and over again for years to come.

Cheers to Mr. 3000 and the Duke of New York.